Are you ready to get started with Apex?
Are you looking for some advice on where to get started with Apex? Some of the links below may be helpful starting points:
Apex Explorer:
This tool will be one of your most valuable as you code Apex. The Apex Explorer allows you to easily see Objects, Fields, and relationships. You can also quickly mock up SOQL queries which are the foundation of the Apex language.
http://wiki.apexdevnet.com/index.php/Apex_Explorer
Eclipse & Apex Toolkit for Eclipse:
Eclipse is the IDE (Integrated Development Environment) for Apex. You will need to write all of your code in Eclipse and use the Apex Toolkit for Eclipse to run your Unit Tests and Port your code to production.
http://wiki.apexdevnet.com/index.php/Members:Apex_Toolkit_for_Eclipse_Installation
Sandbox Account:
Once you have both Eclipse and Apex explorer installed, you will need to connect Eclipse to your Sandbox or Developer account. If you have not already done so, you should take advantage of the free upgrade offer from Salesforce.Com Foundation to get a Free Sandbox Account. It is strongly recommended that you code in your Sandbox, test there, and port to production. You could also code in a Developer Account, however, it’s not as easy to replicate your configuration to a developer account.
http://www.salesforcefoundation.org/upgrade
Training:
Now that you have all of the tools in place, you can start learning the language. There are many great links out there on how to learn Apex. There is also a Hands on Course taught by Salesforce called “APX-320 Apex: Application Laboratory”. This course is offered at an 80% discount off of the retail charge ($3,500) to nonprofits.
Self Learning:
If you don’t have the time/funds for the Apex Lab, you can still get rolling with Apex on your own. There are plenty of links and tutorials online. Here are some of our favorites:
Apex Reference Manual:
Covers the nuts and bolts of the Apex language and even has lots of sample code. This is the closest thing that we have to an “Apex Book”. It’s not a page turner, but definitely a great reference tool as you code through your first set of Scripts:
http://www.salesforce.com/us/developer/docs/apexcode/salesforce_apex_language_reference.pdf
Apex Wiki:
A great place to get started. It is a link list of the most important links for Apex Development. It is probably worth going through each of the links (as you have time) so you can explore the different dimensions of Apex and VisualForce.
http://wiki.apexdevnet.com/index.php/Apex_Code
Trial & Error:
Nothing beats some trial and error learning. You can code safely in your Sandbox or Developer account without harming your production users. It will take a few weeks to get used to Apex and you can learn a lot from the sample code in the Wiki and in the Reference Manual.
